In Portland’s Central Eastside Industrial District, a new cocktail bar, Malpractice, is turning heads with its innovative drink offerings.
Located just off the train tracks, this 20-seat venue challenges traditional cocktail conventions, pushing the boundaries of creativity in mixology.
One standout drink, titled This Is Our Dirty Martini, raises the question of what defines a dirty martini.
Invented by former barista Rick Munro, it features Mexican rum instead of gin or vodka, sherry vermouth, and a unique ‘pseudo seawater-brine’—a blend of lactic acid and saline.
Garnished with roasted bay leaf oil, this cocktail offers not only the familiar taste of a dirty martini but also floral notes of pineapple and peach blossom.
While the drink might not fit the traditional mold, its complex flavors and unexpected ingredients create a delightfully bracing experience for the palate.
The ambiance at Malpractice is as distinctive as its drinks.
As a Union Pacific freight train rolls by, the sound briefly interrupts the lively chatter of patrons and the curated new wave music playing in the background.
Munro’s approach is not just about the cocktails but also a playful commentary on the often absurd nature of intricate mixological creations.
At Malpractice, he revels in the measured excess of elaborate drinks, crafting concoctions with sincerity and precision rather than parody.
This craft is evident in another popular offering, Birds Aren’t Real!, a creative twist on the classic Jungle Bird cocktail.
Munro plays with various seasonal fruits for the citrus component, which is acid-adjusted for balance, and milk-clarified to achieve a smoother texture.
Presented in a whimsical glass bird adorned with a pineapple frond and a metal straw, the drink embodies a sense of fun and creativity that Munro embraces.
Though his intention is to take his craft seriously, he also appreciates the humorous side of presentation, opting for clever designs and fun elements that elicit a chuckle.
Originally hailing from California, Munro’s journey into the world of cocktails began in coffee rather than bars.
Upon moving to Portland, he developed his skills in hospitality, eventually working at Fair Weather, where he discovered his passion for cocktail experimentation.
“This is modular,” Munro explains, referring to the creative possibilities in bartending.
Instead of strictly curating flavors as one might in coffee and wine, he relishes the opportunity to deconstruct and innovate cocktails to make them his own.
In April 2022, driven by a desire to delve deeper into mixology, Munro launched Malpractice as a pop-up bar, featuring inventive drinks like clarified basil gimlets and a Blood and Sand made with lacto-fermented blood orange juice.
Over the course of a 30-installment series, Munro explored various cocktail formats, including a cheeky repertoire of Negroni variations he termed “Maladjusted.”
These variations serve as a light-hearted critique of the contemporary trend of modifying the classic Negroni.
When Munro transitioned Malpractice into a brick-and-mortar establishment in December 2024, he retained several drinks from his pop-up days, including the Maladjusted lineup.
Some of these drinks stay true to standard ingredients, while others, like the celery- and dill-packed #6, introduce more unusual elements such as aquavit and Calvados.
Munro candidly acknowledges, “There really is no need to adjust the Negroni, it’s already perfect as is.”
However, he embraces the creative challenge of tweaking traditional recipes and constantly seeks to innovate with new variations throughout the seasons.
Malpractice stands as a testament to Munro’s dedication to the art of cocktail-making, offering patrons a taste of the unexpected amid Portland’s vibrant bar scene.
image source from：https://www.pdxmonthly.com/eat-and-drink/2025/06/malpractice-cocktail-bar
